Apex guide arrangement



June 16; 1959 'f E 2,890,565

APEX GUIDE ARRANGEMENT I Filed March 11 1957 INVENTORS EDWARD J. WRIGHT NORMAN E. YKLEIN ATTORNEY 2,890,565 Patented June 16, 1959 ice 2,890,565 APEX GUIDE ARRANGEMENT Edward J. Wright and Norman E. Klein, Pendleton, S46, assignors to Deering Miiliken Research Corporation, Pendleton, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Application March 11, 1957, Serial No. 645,379 20 Claims. (Cl. 57-106) This invention relates to guide arrangements for yarn or other filamentary material, and more particularly to a unique apex guide and horizontally disposed takeup bobbin arrangement.

In the winding of yarn or the like onto a bobbin through the medium of a twister arrangement it is customary and advantageous to employ an apex guide spaced rom the end spindle holding the bobbin. When the bobin is to be dotted or donned, however, it is necessary, or at least advantageous, to be able to move the apex guide out of the path of the dolfed or donned bobbin, and it is also adavntageous in many instances to be able to readily move the guide away from its apex position in order to permit the operator to make necessary adjustments in the vicinity of the bobbin. Furthermore, in the instance of bobbin takeup and apex guide arrangements such as disclosed in the copending application of Edward J. Wright, Serial No. 613,692, filed October 3, 1956, wherein the axis of the takeup bobbin is horizontal and a sharp bend is employed in passing the strand to be wound onto the bobbin from a feed point to the apex guide and then to the bobbin, it is particularly advantageous that the operator have suflicient head room closely adjacent the spindle to permit facile handling of the bobbin during removal and donning thereof and also to permit ease of making any necessary adjustments at any time as may be desired or necessary.

It is accordingly an important feature of this invention that a spindle and apex guide arrangement is provided wherein the apex guide unit may be readily and positively shifted from its apex position to a position completely out of the path of the bobbin during dofiing and donning thereof, and which employs a positively acting over-center toggle action biasing arrangement for holding the apex guide selectively in either apex position or inoperative position out of the dofiing and donning path of the bobbin.

It is a further important feature that an apex guide and bobbin-holding spindle arrangement is provided wherein the apex guide. is so arranged that exceptionally ample head room is provided for the operator, when the apex guide is in its inoperative position, even though the apex guide normally extends considerably beyond the free axial end of the bobbin-holding spindle when in the operative apex guiding position.

A further feature of this invention is the provision of a pivotally mounted apex guide arrangement particularly adapted for a takeup spindle, wherein the pivot axis of the apex guide arm or the like is substantially parallel with the axis of the takeup spindle, whereby the apex guide may readily be moved laterally from the apex position to an inoperative position out of the operators way. This is particularly advantageous when the pivot axis for the apex guide arm or the like is disposed above the axis of the takeup spindle, since in this arrangement the guide support arm and apex guide unit may be readily moved from the apex guiding position wherein the arm extends downwardly, to an upper position with the arm and guide unit extending upwardly and away from interference with the operator While dofiing or donning the bobbin or bobbin package or the like, which package may be quite heavy and require the operator to get substantially close to the spindle thereby necessitating considerable head room.

It is an important advantage that as a result of employing a pivot axis substantially parallel or at least extending in substantially the same direction as the axis of the takeup spindle, the amount of yarn necessary to be pulled off the takeup bobbin or pulled from the takeup source is materially reduced as compared to the amount necessary if when the pivot axis is substantially transverse to the axis of the spindle as is commonly used in textile apparatus such as spinning frames or the like. It will be noted that with the particular apex guide arrange ment employed as disclosed herein it is feasible to Wind strands onto very large bobbins (ie of the order of 8 to 15 inches diameter for the bobbin flanges, and even larger diameters if desired, whereas with previous devices such operation has not been facilely accomplished, even though such might be possible).

A still further important feature of this invention is the provision of an apex guide arrangement particularly adapted for employment in a takeup spindle arrangement wherein a sharp angular bend is encountered in the course of passage of a strand past the apex guide and onto the bobbin. In the preferred embodiment this particular aspect of the invention employs an axially aligned pigtail guide and a spaced apart guide roller, each being sup ported on a pivotally mounted arm, and preferably with a guide finger extending partially around the guide pulley in order to hold the yarn in position on the pulley when the arm and guide assembly is moved from the apex guiding position to the inoperative, out-of-the-way position, thus permitting the operator to readily move the entire guide assembly without the necessity of rethreading the guide roller upon movement back from the inoperative position to the apex guiding position.

Still other objects and attendant advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment constructed according to the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a spindle and apex guide arrangement constructed according to the invention, with the apex guide in the operative apex position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 1, wherein the apex guide unit is pivoted to its inoperative position to permit easy dofiing and donning of the takeup bobbin or to permit any ease of spindle adjustment as may be required.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the pivotally mounted apex guide assembly as shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the bobbin omitted.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the apex guide unit shown in Figure 3, showing the front flange of the takeup bobbin for the purpose of orienting the various parts.

Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, a spindle 11 is suitably mounted on a base generally indicated at 13, the spindle 11 being adapted to support a bobbin or other yarn carrier B. In the instant and preferred embodiment the axis of the spindle 11 is horizontal. In the illustrated embodiment the spindle 11 is a takeup spindle, there being provided a twisting and winding device 15 which may be of any conventional or desired construction for winding filamentary material onto the bobbin or other carrier B mounted on the spindle 11. It will be apparent as the description proceeds, how.-

ever, that the invention is also advantageous and has utility in yarn delivery spindle arrangements as well as in yarn takeup arrangements, although the preferred utilization of the invention is in a takeup apparatus, particularly due to the solution by this guide arrangement, of the various problems posed by an apex guide in a horizontaltakeup spindle arrangement.

Disposed at a desired distance from the end of the spindle 11 is an apex guide unit 17 mounted on a pivotally mounted arm 19, the pivot axis of which arm is preferably substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the spindle 11. The pivot mounting for the arm 19 includes a bearing housing 21 secured as by welding to a suitable support such as an angle bar 23. The. housing 21 has a longitudinal bore extending therethrough, the outer ends of which are recessed and have mounted therein a respective one of a pair of bearings 25, 27 within which the pivot mounting en'd 19a of the arm 19 is suitably disposed.

The pivot mounting end 1911 ofthe arm is suitably retained in the bearings 25, 27 as through. the means of a washer 28 and a collar 29 having a set screw 31, and adjacent the outer endof the forward bearingthe arm has formed or secured thereon a bearing engaging section of a brace plate 33. The bearing engaging section 3311 of the brace plate has a flat face which is perpendicular to the pivot axis of the arm .and engages a bearing washer 32, this section being suitably secured to the arm in the instant illustration as by welding. The brace plate 33 includes an extended section 3312 which is suitably secured along the inclined portion of the arm 19, also as by weld-. ing as shown. The brace plate has formed or secured thereon a stop-engaging lug 35 which serves in conjunction with a fixed stop 37 and an adjustable stop to fix respectively the inoperative and operative position of the pivotally mounted arm and apex guide unit. The stop 37 may be suitably formed as by a lug formed on or secured to the channel bar support 23 as by welding, whereas the adjustable stop 39 may take any desired adjustable form, in the instant example such being a set screw substantially tightly threadedly fitted in a split collar 41 which is secured as by welding or the like or. other suitable means to the forward surface of the angle bar support 23. Adjustment of the set screw may readily be employed to make necessary small changes in the position of the arm 19 and apex guide unit 17 in the operative apex guiding position.

In order to provide positive selective retention of the arm 19 in both the operative and inoperative positions, an over-center spring biasing arrangement is provided. The over-center arrangement includes a spring retaining finger 43 secured as by welding on the brace plate section 33b and/or the inclined radially and angularly extending section of the pivotally mounted arm 19, and a spring retaining finger 45 suitably secured to the angle bar support 23 on the opposite side of the pivot axis of the arm 19 as by welding or the like. A tension spring 47 is secured, under tension, at its respective opposite ends to the spring retaining fingers 43 and 45. It will readily be apparent that this particular spring biasing arrangement provides a positive retention of the arm 19 in either the operative position as illustrated in Figure 3 or the inoperative position as illustrated in Figure 4. In the operative position the stop engaging lug 35 on the brace plate 33 engages the adjustable set screw stop 41, while in the inoperative position thestop engaging lug engages stop 37. In each of these positions the arm 19 is positively, yet resiliently maintained, permitting the operator to readily move the arm to a selected one of its two positions and providing retention of them in either of its positions.

Adjustably mounted on the outer free end of the arm 19=is a pigtail guide 51.- The pigtail guide 51 is slidably disposed in a longitudinal end slot 53 in arm 19 and having a central axialbore 55 therein. Positive retention of the pigtail guide in the bore 55 is. accomplished by a bracket collar 57 slidably adjustably mounted on the slotted end of the arm 19 and within which is threadedly engaged a set screw 59. Tightening of the set screw 59 will thus retain the bracket collar in a selected longitudinal and angular position on the arm 19 as well as tightening the bifurcated segments formed by the slotted end of the arm 19 in gripping relation about the shank 51a of the pigtail guide 51. Formed on or secured as by welding to the bracket collar 57 is a bracket leg 61 on which is suitably rotatably mounted a strand. guiding pulley 63 and a yarn retaining finger guide 65 partially surrounding the guide pulley periphery in the direction of yarn flow thereto. As seen particularly in Figure 4, the bracket leg 61 is preferably canted with respect to the longitudinal extent of the arm 19 in order to offset the rotational axis of the pulley 63, with respect to the longitudinal extent of arm 19, although this might otherwise be obtained without this canting merely by making a wider-bracket leg'61 in order to provide a point for securingthe pulley 63 to one side of the guide eye portion of the pigtail guide 51, the advantag of which will be later described.

The retaining guide finger-is supported on the end of the bracket leg 61 as by a clamp arrangement including the leg 61 and a clamp plate 67. The clamp plate and bracket leg may have a grooved recess in their adjacent faces for receipt of the shank 65a of the yarn retaining finger guide 65, the clamp plate 67 being removably secured to the bracket leg through the medium of a cap screw 69 extending through a bore in the bracket leg and threadedly engaged in a tapped bore in the clamp plate 67, and a cap screw 71 extending through a bore in the clamp plate 67 and threadedly engaged in a tapped bore in the end of the bracket leg on the opposite side of the shank 65a of the retaining finger guide. In the preferred arrangement the guide pulley 63 is mounted on or includes a friction reducing bearing, the inner race of which is secured as by a light press fit on the shank of the cap screw 71 between the cap of the cap screw and the outer face of the clamp plate 67 The illustrated arrangement according to the invention permits ease of adjustment of the guide pulley and pigtail guide eye for alignment of the axis of the pigtail guide eye 51b with the axisof the spindle 11, and align ment of "the guide surface of the pulley 63 so that the yarn will feed from the pulley axially directly into the axis of the eye 51b. Thus the pulley 63 may be suitably adjusted, through movement of the bracket collar 57 and bracket leg 61, to dispose the vertically upper surface (as viewed inthe illustrated embodiment) in slightly offset position beneath the axis of the guide eye 51b so that center of the strand will be in substantial alignment with the center of the guide eye 51b and the axis of the spindle 11. It will be apparent, however, that for all practical purposes in most instances of relatively small diameter filamentary material such as yarn, cord, ctc., sufficiently satisfactory alignment of the upper guide surface of the pulley with the center of the guide eye may be accomplished merely by aligning the upper guide surface of the pulley, as indicated at 63a, with the center of the guide eye 51b.

The retaining guide finger 65 extends along a small portion of the periphery of the pulley 63 and across the annular peripheral guide groove in the pulley, as seen particularly in Figure 3. As will be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the guide finger extends from is shank portion 652; laterally across the groove of the pulley 63, thence making a right angle turn and extending along a length in substantially the direction of said bracket legs, thence back across the guide groove of the pulley and upwardly toward its shank portion 65a, terminating inwardly of the face of the pulley adjacent the shank portion 65a. As seen in Figures 1 and 2 particularly, this retaining guide finger arrangement materiallyv aids in maintaining. the yarn or. other. filamentary material in the groove of the pulley in both the operative apex guiding position and in the inoperative position, it being noted that the yarn would otherwise tend to fall out of the groove of the pulley in the inoperative upper pivoted position of the arm 19. Thus the operator does not have to rethread the guide arrangement upon movement of the guide unit back to the apex guiding position as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the guide finger arrangement being operative to hold the yarn in proper position whereupon the yarn is maintained in the groove of the pulley and thus is in position for continued takeup on the bobbin B after dofing or donning or any other action which requires the arm 19 and apex guide unit 17 to be moved to the inoperative position.

It will be seen that the instant guide unit arrangement 17 provides considerable advantage over a mere pigtail guide eye arrangement in that the yarn is first passed over guide pulley 63, which has a large eliective peripheral surface curvature, and then to the guide eye 51b. The employment of the large radius of curvature and rolling contact at the sharp bend of the yarn is particularly advantageous as distinguished from the small radius of curvature and sliding frictional contact normally found when a pigtail guide eye is employed alone, and the combination including the laterally spaced axially aligned guide eye therefore provides a highly advantageous guide arrangement.

The disposition of the pivot axis of the arm 19 parallel to the axis of the spindle 11 permits the guide unit to be passed through the arc in moving from the operative to the inoperative position, thus necessitating a minimum of withdrawal of the yarn from the bobbin B upon movement of the guide unit to the inoperative position.

The disposition of the free end 19b of the arm 19 at an outwardly extending angle with respect to the axis of the spindle 11 and the pivot axis of the arm itself, permits the forward end of the angle bar support to be further removed rearwardly from the forward end of the spindle 11 and bobbin B, while providing the necessary outward spacing the apex guide unit 17 relative to the end of the spindle 11, and thus permitting the operator to have considerably more head room in the handling of the bobbin B during dofiing and donning and other adjustmen-ts.

It will be apparent that many modifications and other embodiments may be made according to this invention without departing from the scope thereof and it is therefore to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the particular illustrated embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A spindle and guide arrangement comprising a spindle support, a spindle supported at one end on said spindle support, an arm support disposed adjacent the free end of said spindle, a support arm pivotally mounted on said arm support with its pivot axis being laterally spaced apart from and being substantially parallel with said spindle axis, and an apex guide unit mounted on said guide support arm adjacent the free end of said arm and in substantial alignment with the axis of said spindle, and a spring operatively connected to said arm and adapted to selectively yieldingly retain said am in one of two pivoted positions about its said parallel pivot axis.

2. A spindle and guide arrangement comprising a spindle support, a spindle supported at one end on said spindle support, an arm support disposed adjacent the free end of said spindle, a support arm pivotally mounted on said arm support with its pivot axis being laterally spaced apart from and being substantially parallel with said spindle axis, and an apex guide unit mounted on said guide support arm adjacent the free end of said arm and in substantial alignment with the axis of said spindle, spaced apart stops on said arm support, at least one stopengaging projectionfixedly supported by and movable with said guide arm and engageable with said stops at opposite ends of pivoted movement of said guide arm, and an over-center spring having one end fixedly secured at an intermediate point between the free end and the pivot axis of said arm, said spring being secured at its opposite end to said arm support at a position on the opposite side of said pivot axis.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said apex guide unit comprises a guide roller rotatably operatively supported on the outer free end of said arm, a pigtail guide mounted on said arm between said guide roller and the free end of said spindle, said guide roller having a grooved peripheral guide surface in substantial alignment with the axis of said spindle on the side thereof adjacent the pivot axis of said arm.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said guide support arm includes a laterally movable section extending from said pivot axis to said pigtail guide, said laterally movable section being inclined at an acute angle to the spindle axis and extending in an inclined direction away from the free end of said spindle.

5. A spindle and guide arrangement comprising a spindle support, a spindle supported at one end on said spindle support, an arm support disposed adjacent the free end of said spindle, a support arm pivotally mounted on said arm support with its pivot axis being laterally spaced apart from and being substantially parallel with said spindle axis, and an apex guide unit mounted on said guide support arm adjacent the free end of said arm and in substantial alignment with the axis of said spindle, said apex guide unit comprising a pigtail guide mounted on the end of said arm having a guide eye formed therein, said eye of said pigtail guide being aligned with the axis of said spindle, and a guide roller disposed in spaced apart relation beyond said pigtail guide and supported by said guide arm, the portion of peripheral guide surface of said guide roller facing the pivot axis of said arm being in close adjacency to an imaginary line passing through the center of said eye of said pigtail guide and the axis of said spindle.

6 A spindle and guide arrangement according to claim 5 further comprising an offset bracket mounted on and extending beyond the end of said arm said guide roller being rotatably mounted on said offset bracket.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6 further comprising a yam retaining guide finger supported by said bracket and disposed in partial Wrap-around relation about the peripheral guide surface of said guide roller angularly spaced from said first mentioned portion of said peripheral guide surface.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the free end of said arm has a longitudinal slot formed therein, said pigtail guide having its base end adjustably disposed in said slot, said bracket having a collar portion adjustably slidably engageable about the slotted end of said arm, set screw threadedly mounted in said collar portion and adapted to secure said bracket and pigtail guide each in a respective selected position on said arm.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the axis of said guide roller is substantially perpendicular to a plane common to the axis of said arm and to said roller and is laterally offset from an imaginary line passing through the center of said arm, said arrangement further comprising a releasable clamp adjacent the outer free end of said bracket, said yam retaining guide finger being adjustably disposed in said clamp.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said clamp comprises a leg member extending from said collar portion and a plate movable with respect to said leg, and a pair of screws operatively clamping said plate member and leg about a portion of said guide finger.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said guide roller includes a friction reducing beating having 7 an inner and outer race, said inner race being mounted on one of said clamp screws.

12. A pivoted guide arrangement comprising a support member, an aim member pivotally mounted on said support member and having an extended portion disposed at an angle to the pontion of said arm lying along the pivot axis of said arm, a pair of spaced apart stops disposed on said support, said arm having at least one stop engaging member thereon adapted to engage said stops at opposite ends of travel of said arm about its pivot axis, an overcenter toggle action bias means adapted to bias said arm toward the closer one of said two stops, and a strand guide supported on and disposed adjacent the free end of said extended portion of said arm, said strand guide comprising a pulley having its axis of rotation perpendicular to said pivot axis, and a yarn retaining member disposed-closely adjacent said pulley and adapted to retain yarn on said pulley in either of the two positions of saidarm at its said opposite ends of travel.

13. A pivoted guide arrangement comprising a support member, an arm member pivotally-mounted on said support member and having an extended portion disposed at an angle to the portion of said arm lying along the pivot axis of said arm, a pair of spaced apart stops disposed on said support, said arm having at least one stop engaging member thereon adapted toengage said stops at opposite ends: of travel of said arm about its pivot axis, an overcenter toggle action bias means adapted to bias said arm toward the closer one of: said two stops, and a strand guide supported on and disposed adjacent the free end of said extended portion of said arm, the angle formed between said extended portion of said arm and the portion of said arm extending along said pivot axis being an obtuse. angle, said over-center toggle. action biasing means comprising a tension spring'having one end thereof'connected to said extendingportion of said arm intermediate the end of said extending portion. and said pivot axis, said opposite end of said spring being connected to said support at a point on the opposite side of said pivot axis.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13; further comprising a brace member secured to said arm adjacent said pivot axis and extending along a part of the length of said extended portion, said stop engaging member being formed on said brace member, said brace. member being disposed substantially transversely to the. axis of said pivot axis.

15. Apparatusaccording to claim 13 wherein one of said stops-is threadedly adjustable.

16. A pivoted-guide arrangement comprising a support member, an arm member pivotally mounted on said support member and having an extended portion disposed at an angle to the portion of said arm lying along the pivot axis of said arm, a pairof spaced apart stops disposed on said support, saidarm having at least one stop engaging member thereon adapted to engage said stops at opposite ends of travel of said arm about its pivot axis, an overcenter toggle action bias means adapted to bias said arm toward the closer one of said two stops, and a strand guide supported on and disposed adjacent the free end of said extended portion of said arm, said strand guide comprising a pigtail guide, said pigtail guide being adjustable longitudinally of said extending portion of said arm.

17. Apparatus'according to. claim 16 further comprising a guide roller rotatably supported on said extending portion of said arm and having'its'axis offset transversely from. an imaginary line passing longitudinally through said extending portion of said arm, said roller being a peripherally grooved pulley and adjustable longitudinally of'therlength of said extending portion of said arm.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17 further comprising: a bracket having an interconnected collar and leg extension, said pulley being rotatably mounted on said leg extension, a longitudinal slot formed in the end of said extending portion of said arm said pigtail guide being longitudinally slidably mounted in said slot, said collar being adjustably removably disposed on said slotted end of said-arnmand having a set screw adapted to secure said bracket and said pigtail guide each in a respective selected position.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18 further comprising a retaining guide finger disposed in surrounding relation about a portion of the periphery of said pulley, said guide finger being operatively mounted on said bracket leg.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19 including a clamp adapted to movably and adjustably secure said retaining guide finger. on said bracket leg, said clamp including an adjustably threaded member, said pulley including a friction reducing bearing mounted on said threaded members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,342,153 Lodge Feb. 22, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 598,999 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1948 652,020 Great Britain Apr. 11, 1951 

